


thirteen ways of looking at the sun

by intuitionist



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, M/M, NCT 2020, OT23 (NCT), POV Multiple, Vignettes, resonance era
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:26:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28049961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/intuitionist/pseuds/intuitionist
Summary: Haechan seen through the eyes of thirteen members of NCT, in the months and weeks leading up to Resonance Pt. 1 & Pt. 2.
Relationships: Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee
Comments: 23
Kudos: 289





	thirteen ways of looking at the sun

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted this fic to have twenty-three sections, but getting to thirteen was hard enough. That said, everyone is at least mentioned, and though this is Haechan-centric, there’s more than a hint of markhyuck. Loosely inspired, of course, by [Wallace Stevens and his blackbirds](https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45236/thirteen-ways-of-looking-at-a-blackbird).

I. JUNGWOO

The lights were off in the Music Core waiting room. It was a little too crowded with humanity, only a flimsy door separating the napping members of NCT 127 from the chaos of the weekly show. They had one hour before the hair shop artists would arrive, and the members were intent on making the most of it, piled onto the sofas like puppies while wearing their stage outfits for “Punch.” Jungwoo had been the last to finish getting dressed, so he was stuck with the worst spot: too close to the door, too short for his legs, and directly underneath the air conditioning vent. 

Precious minutes of rest slipped away as sleep refused to come. Jungwoo finally sighed with defeat and opened his eyes. In the dim room, the only moving things were Haechan’s fingers, gently combing through Mark’s hair. The rapper’s head was in Haechan’s lap.

Jungwoo smiled into the collar of his jacket. Lost sleep was still something to be mourned, but a secret was always a nice consolation.

* * *

II. JISUNG

Birthdays often felt like an afterthought in idol life. Oh, sometimes the fans organized birthday ads and other support, and if your birthday fell during promotions, you might even get to celebrate on stage. More often than not, though, birthdays were forgotten in the never-ending promotional hustle. It was too easy to let birthdays slide by if you were sweating in a practice room or dozing off in a van shuttling you back from a late schedule. Jisung had honestly spent so many of his birthdays in SM that he wasn’t entirely sure what a normal one was like.

“So we should do something special for Donghyuck this year since schedules are so light,” Jisung said to Jeno and Jaemin. They were gathered in the dorm living room. Renjun wasn’t back from the radio station, and Chenle was at his own home.

“Should we?” Jeno said, mostly joking. “He didn’t get me anything for my birthday.” He grinned at Jisung, who had also forgotten to buy Jeno a gift.

Jaemin was probably the most thoughtful gift giver in Dream, so he began to toss out suggestions. Clothes, shoes, jewelry, perfume. Nothing seemed particularly interesting. “Do we know what the 127 hyungs are getting him?”

“We could ask Mark,” Jisung suggested, and he quickly tapped out a message on his phone. He didn’t wait long for signs of life. “Oh, he must not be busy. He already read it!”

His phone began to buzz with new messages. _Katalk, katalk, katalk, katalk._ Jisung read them aloud as he scrolled. “Jungwoo-hyung: bucket hat. Jaehyun-hyung: designer slippers. Doyoung-hyung: Burberry wallet? Taeyong-hyung: iPad!”

One last buzz. _Katalk_. Jisung read it twice to be sure it wasn’t a cosmic joke, then told Jeno and Jaemin, “Let’s give up and just buy him hanwoo.”

“Why?”

“Mark-hyung bought him a new iPhone.”

Jeno just laughed, while Jaemin threw a couch pillow on the floor in disgust. “You’re right. Meat it is.”

* * *

III. RENJUN

Renjun wondered if any other idol group had ever needed seven vans to get from point A to point B. He knew that his friends in Seventeen were sometimes identified at festivals by the sheer number of vehicles that ferried them to their schedules, but even they maxed out at four. Renjun snapped a stealthy picture of the line of parked vehicles—all shiny and black with tinted windows—that had brought twenty-three members plus several long-suffering managers to the site of NCT’s summer retreat in Gangwondo. It was a rather luxurious pension, high in the mountains, and with just a little double-bunking, they would supposedly all be able to sleep there. 

The best news was that even in the middle of nowhere, there appeared to be a cell signal. Two whole bars. Renjun texted the picture he’d just taken to Junhui ( _I’m not sure why they didn’t rent a bus!_ ), who replied quickly with a string of his favorite cat doge emoji.

He tucked his phone away before a manager felt compelled to remind him that the entire trip was a secret. Members were milling all around. Kunhang was still wearing his neck pillow and rubbing sleep out of his eyes. Jaemin and Jeno were trying to find their suitcases in the growing cluster that had been unloaded by the managers onto the driveway. He saw Yuta looping a friendly arm around Shotaro’s shoulders—the newbie looked pretty overwhelmed—and Jungwoo quite literally dragging Sungchan and their suitcases up to the house. The loudest voice and sunniest energy belonged, of course, to Donghyuck, who was whirling from member to member with hugs and kisses. When he finally reached Mark, he draped his arms possessively around Mark’s waist and announced to everyone nearby, “Mark is my roommate!”

Renjun was so very tempted to say something about how that ended last time, but he knew it would embarrass Donghyuck in a way that wasn’t fun. Anyway, today Mark wasn’t even bothering to protest. He just laughed as Donghyuck pulled him closer. The fans probably would have said his eyes were sparkling.

Jeno came up beside him, rolling both of their suitcases. “Found yours.” He followed Renjun’s gaze and shook his head like a disappointed auntie. “Those two. I can’t decide if it’s the best or worst act in the world.”

“Maybe we’ll know after this weekend,” Renjun said.

“I think there are lots of things we’ll know after this weekend,” Jeno said. “I’ll still be surprised if we end up with an answer to that question.”

“It would be nice to settle The Bet though. We could bet on whether we’ll settle The Bet.”

Jeno’s eyes curved into the crescents that had made him a child star. “Not falling for that trick again, Junnie. Once is enough.”

“Darn it. Well, let’s find Nana and stake out the best rooms before anyone realizes what we’re doing.”

The slower hyungs were slightly annoyed when they figured out they’d been outmaneuvered by their clever kids, but no one had the heart or energy to relocate them.

* * *

IV. KUN

Kun had noticed early on in his time in SM that most large gatherings of NCT members ended in anarchy. Even small groups could be dangerously chaotic if you had the right (or maybe it was wrong?) combination of members. Sometimes just one member was enough to cause pandemonium. Johnny or Yuta, if boredom made them extra playful. Chenle, if he was feeling especially comfortable with his geges. And Ten or Yangyang or Haechan, pretty much in any mood on any day.

Even so, Kun had never stopped to think what might happen if the wonderfully terrible trio was thrown together in one subunit. So when he learned at the company retreat that all three would be in the 90’s Love unit, he could only laugh. Would the training rooms survive? What on earth would happen on stage? No one heard him, because the entire room had exploded in chatter. Jeno was doing his best to suffocate Mark with a hug, and Ten and Haechan appeared to be doing an impromptu tango. Kun started laughing even harder when he saw that Doyoung, sitting across the room, was literally speechless at the spectacle. 

“You might need earplugs,” he said in Mandarin to Sicheng, who was sitting beside him, possibly contemplating the earsplitting volume of his immediate future.

“I share a room with Xuxi,” Sicheng whispered back. “I have plenty.”

* * *

V. XIAOJUN

Everyone was obsessed with the whistle. It started when NCT heard the “Make a Wish” demo at the company retreat, and it only got worse after recording for Resonance began in earnest. Before long, it wasn’t uncommon to hear it in multiple practice rooms at SM, especially when the members were extra tired and inclined to goof off. 

Dejun figured it was a promising sign for the comeback. Any song that caught the interest of SM’s jaded artists was likely going to be a hit. It was a much-needed bit of reassurance. He was definitely feeling the weight of expectations for his first NCT U title track. 

“It’s an awesome song,” Ten assured him, on one of the days when he wasn’t busy with prep for SuperM. “Everyone in the vocal line wishes they had your part!” And because it was Ten saying it, he knew the words were an encouragement rather than a complaint.

Still, if he was being honest with himself, Dejun could admit he felt threatened the day he passed a practice room with a half open door and heard Haechan singing his bridge. In Haechan’s distinctive tenor, the lines sounded so changed, and not in a bad way. For a moment, Dejun was transported back to his early trainee days, when he could barely speak any Korean and he watched Dream’s and 127’s stages and wondered how he was supposed to do that. 

Then Haechan turned and noticed him lingering outside the door. He grinned in welcome. “Hyung! Come sing with me.”

“You sounded good,” Dejun said, a bit awkwardly, but he squeezed into the practice room as summoned. 

“I was bored,” Haechan admitted freely, not looking at all apologetic. “We’re recording ‘From Home’ tomorrow. I like it but—”

“Ballads can get boring after a while. ‘From Home’ sounds good. Kun seems excited for it.”

“Kun-hyung was showing me pictures of the pets yesterday at practice. They’re so cute! I want to meet them. We can’t raise any in our dorm.” Dejun raised a brow and Haechan added, “So many people have allergies. Taeyong-hyung has a fish tank now, but you can’t cuddle fish.”

“Well, don’t tell Kun that I said this, but Bella is way cuter than the cats. Come visit anytime.”

“It’s a secret,” Haechan said, pretending to zip his lips. “Seriously, puppies are always better. But let’s sing something. What do you like? Something Chinese? Or do you like pop songs?” 

He looked genuinely interested, rather like a puppy himself, and Dejun let his anxiety drain away. This wasn’t a competition, not in this moment at least. He said, “I’ve been practicing a Sam Kim song.”

“Oh? Let’s hear it.”

* * *

VI. DOYOUNG

The mood on the Awsaz set was bright, and no one was brighter than Donghyuck. The PD had called a short break, and Doyoung could see Donghyuck forcing Mark to pose for selcas with flower crowns that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Doyoung had a bad feeling one of those crowns was eventually going to end up on his head.

“Okay, 1, 2, 3!”

Renjun returned from getting his makeup touched up and joined Doyoung in watching the pair’s antics. He rolled his eyes in a way that reminded Doyoung that all of Donghyuck’s friends were scary. “Do you think they even remember we’re here?”

“Haechanie never forgets where the camera is,” Doyoung said. Donghyuck could be very playful, but he was always a consummate professional. Mark finally escaped Donghyuck’s photoshoot, took off his crown, and hurried off set, probably hoping to visit the bathroom before the break was over. Meanwhile, Donghyuck wandered to and fro, first to the catering table and next to the makeup team and finally over to the corner where the PD was reviewing some of the footage. He began chatting amiably with the writer noonas. “Ah, before I forget, Jungwoo said I should ask you about a wager.”

“A wager? Oh, you mean The Bet.” Renjun waggled his eyebrows. “I didn’t think all of you knew about it.”

“Jungwoo told me to tell you that he wants in. He said I should ask to be in, too, but he wouldn’t tell me what it is actually about.” Jungwoo had been deliberately mysterious, ignoring Doyoung’s repeated suggestions to message Renjun directly. _That wouldn’t be nearly as fun, hyung!_ Thus Doyoung, the middleman.

“I’m not sure we ought to let you and Jungwoo in. You live with them. That seems like an unfair advantage. But here are the rules: pick a date, and you can only win if you’re within two days in either direction, not counting the day you chose. If no one wins before the end of the year, the bet carries over and we choose new dates on January 1.”

Doyoung tried not to sigh and failed. “Renjunie. You still haven’t told me what the bet is about.”

“If those two fools will ever figure out their feelings.” He waved over to where Mark had rejoined Donghyuck and put his arm around his shoulders. They were leaning into each other as they watched something on the screen.

“It worries me that you already have a plan for what to do if no one wins this year.”

“This is year three, hyung. My day hasn’t passed yet but I think we’re going to reach year four at this rate.” Renjun began to type a message into his phone. “I’ll have to ask the others if they’re okay with letting you in.”

“Please don’t tell me you have a special group chat for this.”

Renjun snorted. “Of course we do.” His phone chimed with a notification, and he said, “Jaemin thinks Jungwoo saw something if he wants in.” His eyes narrowed. “What do you know?” 

Doyoung took a defensive step back. “I know nothing!”

Donghyuck’s friends were scary indeed.

* * *

VII. TAEYONG

Filming the Year Party made NCT 2020 feel real in a brand new way. The set was enormous, and every corner was buzzing with activity, as the crew tried to make the most of twenty-three people’s time. Taeyong couldn’t help trying to keep tabs on everyone, even though it was futile with simultaneous shoots happening on different stages. Johnny had already snuck up behind him once and whispered, “I can almost hear you counting. Just relax.” Waiting under the lights, Jaehyun must have also seen the worry on his face because he said, “Hyung, how much trouble can we get into on a set in the middle of nowhere?”

Taeyong had a pretty good memory of past incidents, and the answer to that question was _quite a lot_. 

If you weren’t filming, you were hurrying to your next shoot, and if you weren’t hurrying somewhere, you were waiting for someone else to be done. There were individual shoots, and group shoots, and time wasted looking for someone who had wandered off, and time wasted wrangling technology, and time for everyone to get their hair and makeup touched up for a second, third, or fourth time.

He was watching Shotaro’s individual shoot and beginning to wonder if he was supposed to be somewhere else when a shy assistant popped up near his elbow and told him it was time to change into his next outfit. She led him over to a makeshift changing room, where Donghyuck was just tugging on a new jacket. The 127 maknae looked especially soft in the pale blue and white suit, with his curled hair and round cheeks. He knew Donghyuck had wanted his hair to be blonder, but the stylists had told him it was too damaged to be bleached again right now. He looked golden anyway.

“Did you eat yet?”

Donghyuck nodded. “A little while ago. I’m filming some YouTube contents with Taeil-hyung next.”

“Oh? Do I get to be a guest?”

“Everyone is _required_ to be a guest, hyung.” 

“Well, I look forward to it.” Taeyong added. He found the new outfit waiting for him and changed with the speed learned from all their concerts. But before he stepped back out into the hallway where the assistant was waiting, he remembered to say, “You look very cute, Donghyuckie.” He ducked out before Donghyuck had a chance to respond.

A protest of “hyung!” followed him through the doorway. Taeyong smiled as he imagined the accompanying pout and followed the assistant to his next activity. 

* * *

VIII. TAEIL

The sun had set, and their set had moved indoors, and somehow they were still filming episodes of _Welcome to Sun and Moon_. Taeil honestly wasn’t sure if their inflatable orange sofa was going to survive much more love, but he figured that whatever happened would at least be amusing.

It had been a very long day. He and Donghyuck were punch-drunk on exhaustion and everything was starting to seem funny. Fortunately the comfortable rhythm of their friendship had easily transferred to their banter as hosts, so they easily joked their way through the final opening. Taeil tried not to chuckle when he noticed that Mark was taking pictures of them while he waited in the wings for his fourth appearance. Then their guests were shuffling onto the disreputable set, and Jungwoo nearly somersaulted off the orange sofa, and Taeil had other things to focus on.

When they finally wrapped, one of their managers was waiting for them with fresh bottles of water. They accepted them gratefully while the manager said, “You can change back into your own clothes now. A few boys have to finish group shots, but everyone else is done and can head home. The vans are leaving when they fill up. You’ve worked hard today.”

By the time they made their way outside, there was only one seat free in the 127 van that was ready to leave. Taeil looked at Donghyuck, who was already stepping back. “You go first, hyung. You know I’ll just stay up late playing games if I get back early!”

It was true, and it was also easier to agree, so Taeil thanked Donghyuck and flopped into the last seat between Johnny and Jungwoo. Donghyuck waved them off, then turned around to go back inside. He looked tiny in his hoodie and shorts under the parking lot lights. 

As their van pulled out on the road, Johnny said, “He probably wanted to wait for Mark anyway.”

Half-asleep on Taeil’s other side, Jungwoo agreed. “For sure. Hey, Taeil-hyung. Have you heard about the bet?”

“The what?”

* * *

IX. HAECHAN

Donghyuck flew down the stairs to the fifth floor dorm after he got the reminder from their manager about his scheduled menpa. He wanted to eat something, maybe even take a shower, before he had to sit down at the computer and be his most clever, charming self. It would have been nice to linger upstairs with Mark, but this was his job after all.

He hummed to himself as he assembled a snack, ignoring the chimes from his phone as it sat on the counter. When he sat down to eat—at least in his dorm there were cups and clean plates—he scrolled through his notifications and saw they were still filling up because of the recording that wasn’t supposed to exist. 

_An X is for a soft kiss_

_An O is for a circled hug_

_Maybe you already know._

Was the longing in his voice as obvious to others as it was to him? The song hadn’t meant anything to him the first time he’d heard it, and then the lyrics had felt far too true, and now he didn’t know what to do with himself after he sung it. His phone chimed with a new message from Renjun, which he deliberately didn’t open, not ready to deal with the teasing. Meanwhile, the fans on Bubble were still going feral, and his earlier response had only riled them up further.

_Is this for real? I didn’t know Mark-hyung was recording it. Haha. This hyung, really._

He didn’t want to do this menpa. After another minute of waffling, he called Mark before he could change his mind again. Mark picked up on the second ring, and Donghyuck didn’t wait for him to speak. “Ya! Mark Lee!”

“Is this still about the recording? You sounded so nice.” 

“And you sound weird right now. What are you doing?”

“I just put on a face pack, that’s all.”

Mark had dropped Donghyuck’s heart on Bubble like a bomb and then gone about his normal life and put on a face pack. Sometimes Donghyuck wondered why he liked Mark so much. (So many inescapable reasons.) “I’m going to do a V-app instead of menpa. Come down and do it with me.”

“Oh, did the company say it was okay?”

“It’s still talking to the fans, they won’t care. 6:30. Bring your guitar.”

He went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. A look in the harshly lit mirror showed him a tired face and over-processed hair. Nothing to be done about either. In his room, he tidied his belongings and put away anything he didn’t want to accidentally show on camera. Then he finally opened Renjun’s message. _Are you having a Mark crisis right now?_ He swiped it away again. He tapped out a quick note to his manager about the change in plans and tried not to think about how Renjun always saw right through him.

Another message from Renjun. _I will take your leaving me on read as a yes._

Mark arrived with barely a minute to spare. He was wearing his new ugly-cute glasses, and there was visible stubble on his upper lip. He’d put on a different hoodie and had remembered his guitar.

“Ready to do this?” he said.

Donghyuck nodded and picked up his favorite pillow. He suspected he’d need the comfort of something to hug. “In three, two, one…”

* * *

X. JAEMIN

On the set of the Déjà Vu track video, Jaemin tried not to worry about the gentle feedback he’d just gotten from one of the managers. “The Mnet PDs said you were very quiet on the set yesterday. Try to be livelier at the next shoot, okay?” It wasn’t an unfair observation. It had simply been one of those days when Jaemin couldn’t keep up with everyone else’s energy. 

Today would be better, he promised himself. Everyone was so excited to be shooting as seven again. Chenle and Jeno in particular were hanging off Mark at every opportunity. Even Jisung, who had been moping recently about his injury, didn’t seem down today.

For much of the day, Donghyuck was in prime form—spinning on the teacup ride, teasing Mark about his fading hair, squishing next to Jaemin on the couch and warbling in his ear. But as the hours wore on, and they were all ready to be done, Donghyuck found Jaemin sitting by himself on a bench in a dark corner of the amusement park set and asked him quietly, “You okay, Nana?” 

Jaemin shrugged. “It’s been a lot lately. A little tired.” He slid over on his bench to make room for Donghyuck, just so Donghyuck knew there were no hard feelings from the morning when he’d been stiff and silent.

Donghyuck took the seat and rested his head on Jaemin’s shoulder, knowing he wouldn’t get pushed away. “It’s okay to be tired sometimes. And I peeked at your solo shots—they looked really good. Czennies are going to really like them!”

That made Jaemin feel better. He knew Donghyuck wouldn’t lie about their work, even when he was trying to be kind. “Thanks, Hyuckie.”

“We’ll be wrapping soon. Plus Mark said he’d buy dinner!”

“Did he, or did you say it for him?” Jaemin pulled away from Donghyuck so he could look carefully as his guileless face. The picture of innocence. “You seem different lately, but I can’t put my finger on it.”

“Not sure what you mean,” Donghyuck said with maximum cheekiness. “I haven’t changed a bit!” Then he planted a sloppy smooch on Jaemin’s cheek and skipped away to jump on Jeno’s back. Jaemin wiped off Donghyuck’s spit with his sleeve and pondered the evidence of the day some more. The more he considered it, the more he decided that Donghyuck was being very suspicious. 

He pulled up The Bet group chat on his phone. _Who else saw something interesting today. Debrief at the dorm tonight._

* * *

XI. TEN

Sicheng might have been the official leader of the 90s Love unit thanks to Donghyuck’s joke, but Ten still ran their dance practices. He called a break when they’d been at it long enough that the room was humid with their sweat. The members didn’t need any encouragement to scatter in search of cold drinks and bathrooms. 

When Ten returned from his own quick trip to the roof for fresh air, he found Donghyuck and Yangyang in stitches on the floor over some private joke. Ten thought it had been pretty fucking cute to watch both Yangyang and Sungchan be pulled into the whirlwind that was Lee Haechan. Kun liked to call it a crush, especially after Yangyang returned to the dorm one day bubbling over with enthusiasm for Haechan’s style. Ten knew it wasn’t quite that, but it probably felt a lot like one, if you had never had such intense exposure to NCT’s full sun before.

Mark, Jeno, and Sungchan were the next to return, carrying bags of snacks and drinks from the nearest convenience store. Ten watched Mark plop down on the floor next to Donghyuck and begin digging through his black plastic sack. After some searching, he pulled out a canned drink and a box of crackers. He attempted to balance them on Donghyuck’s stomach, which was still shaking with laughter. Then he pulled out his own favorite sports drink and put it next to his knee before looking up and asking Ten, “Hyung, what do you want? We bought lots!”

Ten crouched down and looked through all the options before picking out a Melona bar. As he unwrapped it, he said, “Hey, Mark, do you want to monitor the next go through? See what needs to be fixed?”

Mark gulped down half his drink in one go. “Do you want me to check for details or flow? Donghyuckie is better for flow.”

“Both, but flow more. And feel. We’re already pretty clean.” There were definitely a few lingering errors, but Ten preferred to fix those with the members one on one. He poked Donghyuck’s leg. “You up for it, Donghyuckie?”

“Sure, hyung!”

When Sicheng had returned from making a call, they took it from the top. It was always different performing for an audience rather than a camera, even if that audience was one of their own members standing on top of a chair in order to best see their blocking. Even Ten, who was always happiest dancing, found himself playing up his expressions just a smidge more knowing Donghyuck’s sharp eyes were watching.

“Not bad,” Donghyuck said when they were done. “But we don’t look natural when we’re moving across the stage. You can tell that we’re trying not to bump into each other, so it doesn’t look fun. It should feel like a party.”

That was a problem. Ten sneaked a glance at Sungchan, who was looking self-conscious. He was probably one of the guilty parties. More practice and more muscle memory would probably help him relax, but he also needed to learn how to emote on stage better. “Okay, you heard Donghyuckie. We’ll do it again. Don’t worry about the details this time, okay? We’re the best unit, right?”

“Oooh, I’m going to tell the Work It team you said that,” Yangyang said with glee, and Donghyuck shrieked with laughter, too, and the duo began to bounce up and down. Peas in a pod. Ten thought he probably knew how Kun felt a lot of the time now.

“Keep that energy for the dance,” Ten said, knowing he had no better comeback. He cued the music again. “From the top!”

* * *

XII. JOHNNY

In these strange pandemic days, even the most mundane pleasures felt special, especially with the rush of promotions on the horizon. They had a lucky evening with no practice or schedules, so Johnny had suggested ordering ddeokbokki and playing games all night. They both knew the company wanted them to avoid outings with the increased virus rates and the second album release looming, but Donghyuck was tired of being home. He’d suggested playing in Han River Park instead. So here they were on a random November night, slurping down convenience store ramen and Coke Zero. The wind was a bit brisk, but the lights were bright on the bridges, and there was no one around them to see them with their masks off for a bit.

“We’re going to be super busy next week,” Johnny said. “What do you think, Hyuckie? Is this how you thought it would go when they told us about Resonance back in the summer?”

Donghyuck looked up from his food. His eyes were shining. “It’s even better, hyung. It feels like flying!”

* * *

XIII. MARK

It was snowing, and it was going to snow more before morning. Mark sat on the end of Donghyuck’s bed and watched him spin lazily in his gaming chair as he talked about some game that Chenle had told him to download. Donghyuck’s face was barely visible in the glow of his computer screen, and his hands were mostly hidden in the sleeves of a hoodie that he had almost certainly borrowed from Mark’s closet.

“You’re not listening,” Donghyuck said, interrupting himself.

“You think the game is overrated,” Mark said, though he’d listened without really hearing.

Donghyuck huffed, only slightly mollified. “I’m bored. We’ve been stuck inside all day.”

Mark thought it was unfair how much he liked this. The dark and the quiet, their barely combed hair and their bare faces, the way he could reach out and catch Donghyuck’s dangling foot to draw him closer. Donghyuck giggled when Mark acted on the instinct, but he froze when Mark went further, pulling Donghyuck onto his lap in a tangle of skinny limbs and oversized clothing. Momentum nearly tipped them both over, but after an unsteady moment, they managed to stay upright.

“What are you doing?” Donghyuck whispered into the crook of Mark’s neck. Mark couldn’t see a blush—too close, too dark—but he was sure it was there, pinking the edges of Donghyuck’s ears and the back of his neck. 

“Isn’t this better?”

“Maybe.”

“Just enjoy it.”

Donghyuck took three breaths before he relaxed fully into the hug. Mark locked his arms more firmly around Donghyuck’s waist to pull him closer. He was so adorable and warm, and this moment belonged only to them.

“You’re a big dork, Mark Lee.” The muttered words were so quiet that Mark wasn’t even sure Donghyuck meant for him to hear. Wandering fingers tugged on Mark’s ear, a very mild reproof.

It really was unfair how much Mark liked this. He dropped a kiss on Donghyuck’s lips and said, “I’m glad you’re here with me, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Somewhere the Dreamies are still bickering over how to settle The Bet.
> 
> Also, I was totally charmed to learn that the first snow fell in Seoul the day that I was ready to post this!
> 
> Comments make my day!
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/intuitionist17).


End file.
